BROADBAND EXPANSION IN THE DISTRICT OF COESFELD
We're all familiar with this: in the home office, data exchange and video calls alternate, the kids do their homework online, in the evening they stream their favourite series or play online games with friends. Smartphones and other technical devices are connected to the home Wi-Fi non-stop anyway. In order for this to work as smoothly as possible, a high-performance broadband expansion is a basic requirement.
The district of Coesfeld has therefore relied from the outset on nationwide fibre optic coverage as the most future-proof technology for gigabit-capable network supply - and is thus a leader in NRW. With (homes-passed) coverage of around 92% following the completion of ongoing expansion projects, the district of Coesfeld is also one of the best-served districts in Germany. By way of comparison: as of March 2023, 20% of addresses throughout NRW have been supplied with fibre optics, compared to 25% for the federal government.
Reaching the goal together with ideas and drive
With regard to the towns and municipalities, Ascheberg, Billerbeck, Lüdinghausen, Nordkirchen and Senden are considered to be fully developed - both in the inner and outer areas. Nottuln, Havixbeck and Dülmen will also soon reach this status once the current work has been completed. In Coesfeld, the expansion of the remaining 2,000 addresses in the urban area is currently ongoing and in Olfen the expansion work is being carried out by a local telecommunications provider.
One highlight in the Coesfeld district is the (almost) nationwide fibre optic expansion in the outlying areas. This has been achieved without state funding because the farmers themselves have lent a hand. Neighbours in individual building communities have organised themselves into so-called digging associations and have laid the empty conduits for the fibre optic cables into the ground themselves using self-built cable ploughs - a model that has attracted a lot of attention nationwide.
However, the district of Coesfeld is not only a leader in terms of fibre optic coverage, it is also one of the best-supplied districts in Germany when it comes to mobile communications coverage. The 2G/GSM coverage relevant for telephony is available throughout the district and the 4G/LTE coverage relevant for data traffic covers the majority of residential areas. Even if 4G coverage will remain the priority in the coming years, as many devices and mobile phone tariffs do not yet provide for 5G, 5G expansion is already taking place in the Coesfeld district.
But even if mobile phone coverage is already very good compared to other regions, every dead spot is one too many. In order to be able to draw on high-quality data to close the gaps in coverage, the district of Coesfeld measured the quality of coverage in the mobile phone networks of T-Mobile, Vodafone and Telefónica with the help of special measuring boxes from the STF Group in Dülmen. The measuring boxes were on the road for a year in Remondis waste collection vehicles throughout the district. The data obtained can now be used to further improve the supply situation in a targeted manner. This approach has set a precedent throughout Germany and is being implemented in many other districts and cities under the name "Coesfeld Model".
Contact person
Sebastian Schulze Baek
Wirtschaftsförderung Kreis Coesfeld GmbH
Project Manager Sustainability | Digital Infrastructures
Phone: 02594 782-4027